You may find it difficult to feel hope when you do not feel ok. That is one of the ways that internal events can throw us off our constructive emotional path. The following paragraphs briefly describe 10 positive steps that can help you keep holding on in trials.
Reach out and Talk to Someone
Connecting to others relieves the feeling of social isolation, of facing life’s daily battles alone and afraid. That is the perfect time to call family members, friends, a mental health professional, or the leader of your faith community. Embracing emotional resilience with God grants God’s comfort and faith in hard times. Making a phone call to tell someone you trust that you are not ok is one small step that can give encouragement for weary hearts and bring back hope when you do not feel ok.
Treat Yourself with Compassion
Sometimes we treat other people with more compassion than we show ourselves. Surely part of taking care of “me” should include self-compassion. The definition of compassion is feeling concern for the pain someone else feels, combined with a powerful desire to help reduce or alleviate that pain. So, instead of punishing ourselves for not feeling ok, we should add emotional support to the efforts to fix whatever problems threaten our mental health.
Take Steps to Change the Status Quo
One way to counter a hopeless feeling is to take small steps to relieve the current condition or to elevate a depressed or anxious emotional mood. Small steps mean an easily controlled, gradual pace of tasks taken in furtherance of a larger achievement. The small size of the steps makes taking them less alarming. The pace helps build positive energy and confidence in the outcome. Not only does anxiety reduce with this practice, but the practice becomes a positive habit over time.
Simplify Your Life
If your life has become stress-filled because you voluntarily took on too many projects, take the time now to simplify your life and ease your anxiety. At work, try to delegate tasks to someone else so you can take projects off your plate. You can retain just the reviewer role and allow more junior employees to get the experience they need as the project “doer.”
Let go of projects when you complete them. Do not let the aim for perfection be the enemy of good works. Projects can always use another edit or reworking, but not at the cost of never finishing the work. Leaving completed projects languishing on the desk in case you might want to revise a sentence or two leads to anxiety about your workload. Get the projects off your plate and off your desk. Organize your workspace and simplify the to-do list of tasks before you. You will feel relieved.
Engage in Favorite Activities
One of the side effects of not feeling ok is a loss of interest in activities that brought joy. Trying to do one or two of those activities lifts the spirit. So, partake in hobbies, art, writing, music, helping others, or any activity that feeds the soul. Read a delightful book. Bake a new cake recipe. Eat out at a new favorite restaurant. Learn to enjoy daily activities again. Because hope lives within the soul and the soul finds hope in the struggle.
Engage in Physical Activity
The “stay physically active” refrain is part of every self-care mantra and for good reason. Physical activity grants positive health benefits for both the body and mental health. Physical movement burns off excess energy that can negatively impact emotional stability. Making physical activity a daily pattern builds routine, and routine creates stability in thoughts and actions. Walking, running, swimming, or dancing: They all produce beneficial side effects.
Get Outside!
Fresh air, sunshine, and a change of scenery are mood lifters. Even if you only get out of the house or the office twice a day to walk the dog or once a day to grocery shop, make it a daily event. Feel the energy of people rushing back and forth. Listen to the birds singing. Feel the wind in your hair. Feel the crispness of the approach of the fall season or the promise of new life that comes in spring. Life is all around us. Let it discover you amid holding on in trials. Let nature rejuvenate your spirit.
Learn New Skills
Learning anything new breeds self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Master the rules of bridge, chess, or Mahjong and feel like you can conquer the world.
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Looking at things from an unfamiliar perspective can put negative thoughts in their place. Associate with positive people and eschew negative nellies. Read only positive stories in the news, view positive videos in the media, and look for enthusiasm in social situations. Reconnect with your local faith community, where hope abounds and people still have hope in hardship.
Remember the Hard Times Are Temporary
Remember or read the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rainy Day”: “Into each life a little rain must fall.” This is the poet’s way of saying that everyone experiences hardships, difficulties, and even tragedy at some point, but given the passage of time, emotional support, and effort, everyone can move forward into a brighter future.
Another folklore quotation enshrines the idea that both the good times and troubled times of life are short-lived: “This too shall pass,” is often attributed to the wisdom of King Solomon. While it is not a direct quote from the Bible (although people often think it is), the words are encouragement for weary hearts.
Why Refinery Counseling Services Is the Right Choice for You
When Refinery Counseling Services LLC (RCS) was established in 2020, the founders were proud to announce the formation of this woman-owned and minority-owned private therapy practice. In addition, the owners have military service experience and first-hand knowledge of the impact that disability has on mental health. Our offices are conveniently located in Columbus, Georgia, and we are a premier private therapy practice in the state.
RCS therapists are licensed and have years of relevant clinical experience in psychotherapy. The practice offers a faith-based component for clients who request it. The therapists on staff pledge to provide compassionate care and community engagement to empower everyone in their care. They also pledge cultural competence in all client-therapist interactions.
The RCS stated mission is to empower everybody in their care to grow to become the best person they can be and to heal their emotional fractures into stronger mental health, according to their personal needs and goals.
RCS provides a wide range of services, designed to meet a variety of client needs, such as the following:
- Individual psychotherapy – help heal past traumas, navigate life’s challenges, and acquire coping skills
- Group psychotherapy – consists of a small number of participants sharing their experiences on specific mental health issues
- Family therapy – reorient family relationships toward healthy interactions
- Adolescent therapy – healing childhood trauma or sexual abuse
- Couples therapy – helps to sort out relationship issues for married couples and unmarried significant others
Therapists provide clients with emotional support for the following mental health issues:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief counseling
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Stress
- Suicide survivor support
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Veteran post-service mental health issues, such as re-entry into civilian life and combat, and sexual trauma
In addition, our therapists tailor treatment plans for each client according to their specific needs and furtherance of their mental health goals.
We Stand Ready to Help You Heal
Whatever hardships make you feel not ok, we stand ready to help you on your healing journey. It is easy to contact us. You may reach out by phone, email, or by submitting the form on our website. Contact us today to schedule a free, initial consultation with one of our experienced therapists.
Your initial consultation is an opportunity for you and your therapist to meet and get to know each other. We encourage you to ask questions about the therapist’s education, licensing, and clinical experience. Your therapist will assess your current mental health, review your family history, and your mental health history. Together, you will determine the best treatment plan to meet your needs and achieve your stated goals.
We want you to feel comfortable with your therapist and with the safe space we provide to share your sensitive information and personal thoughts. Take the time to reflect on what services you need, what environment makes you comfortable, and the kind of goals that you want to accomplish.
To start your mental health journey, we invite you to read our August 25, 2025, article entitled “Understanding Grief: It’s Not Just About Loss Through Death.”
For Additional Reading
You can also find other articles of interest on our website’s Refined by Grace blog. We look forward to hearing from you soon so we can show you how RCS can help you succeed on your mental health journey.
